not--should not--forget it now. Had we money! But of that arm our
enemies have deprived us: and, I fear, without it we cannot hope to have
the justice of our cause pleaded in the English papers. Mr. Redner, you
know, the correspondent in Lisbon, is a sworn foe to Silva. And why but
because I would not procure him an invitation to Court! The man was so
horridly vulgar; his gloves were never clean; I had to hold a bouquet to
my nose when I talked to him. That, you say, was my fault! Truly so.
But what woman can be civil to a low-bred, pretentious, offensive man?'

Mrs. Melville, again appealed to, smiled perfect sympathy, and said, to
account for his character:

'Yes. He is the son of a small shopkeeper of some kind, in Southampton,
I hear.'

'A very good fellow in his way,' said her husband.

'Oh! I can't bear that class of people,' Rose exclaimed. 'I always keep
out of their way. You can always tell them.'

The Countess smiled considerate approbation of her exclusiveness and
discernment. So sweet a smile!

'You were on deck early, my dear?' she asked Evan, rather abruptly.

Master Alec answered for him: 'Yes, he was, and so was Rose. They made
an appointment, just as they used to do under the oranges.'

'Children!' the Countess smiled to Mrs. Melville.